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French police clear last migrant camp in north Paris

French police on Tuesday cleared the last migrant tent camp in northeast Paris, moving 427 people to shelters as part of a plan to take migrants off the streets.
The migrants, who included four women, were living in 266 tents and makeshift shelters in a canal-side camp “strewn with waste and refuse, overrun by rats and giving off a pestilent and foul-smelling odor of urine and excrement”, according to the authorities.
The operation to tear down the camp began at 6:00 am (0500 GMT) and lasted two hours, the regional prefecture said.
Dozens of informal settlements have sprung up in recent years around the French capital.
Many of the migrants have their sights on the northern Channel port of Calais, a jump-off point for crossings to Britain.
The authorities regularly tear down the camps, saying they pose a health hazard.
Last week, police moved more than 1,400 migrants, including 93 children, from another camp in northern Paris.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner had promised to clear all migrant camps from the city by the end of last year, in part by opening more shelters for asylum seekers but also by deporting those whose claims are rejected.
Police are being deployed to ensure migrants do not return to the razed camps or set up new ones.
“We are not going to resume a never-ending cycle of evacuations followed by new installations,” Paris police chief Didier Lallement said last week.
But critics say that unless the government provides long-term lodgings or the prospect of legal residency, many migrants will just return to the streets.
President Emmanuel Macron said last year that France must end its “lax” approach to immigration.
SOURCE :AFP
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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